Fourthly He produced the Tree; first it
grew up in the middle of this earth, several feet high, - without
branches, without bark, without thorn, fresh and sweet; it had in its germ
(seed) all kind of force of the trees; He produced the Water and Fire for
the help of the Tree;…….it grew for ever with their strength.

Bundahisn
1a.11

The book of creation, Bundahisn, an important
text of later tradition, regards plants and vegetation as the fourth
creation of Ahura Mazda after the heavens, the earth and the water. So
important is the plant kingdom that Zarathushtrian creation myth relates
the very genesis of mankind through plant kingdom. We are told that the
first ‘mortal life’ (Av. Gayamaretan) in its passing emitted
the seeds from which grew a rivas (rhubarb like) plant, which in
turn generated the astral body (Keherpa) of the first man Mshya and his wife Mshyanag(Mashyani) which was
then vested with the physical form (1). Younger Avesta associates
the Divine value of Ameretat(deathlessness, immortality)
with the plant kingdom.

It is a part of Magian lore that plants are
the part of the good creation of Ahura Mazda to fight the counter order of
evil. As Pliny says, “The Magi are crazy about this plant
verbenaca. Smeared with it they gain whatever they want in prayer,
they drive out fear, they cement friendship, and there is not an illness
they do not cure. It has to be gathered at the rising of the Dog
(constellation of Sirius) when neither sun nor moon can see it…it must be
dried in the shade with its leaves, stalk and roots separate” (2).

With above as a backdrop it is not surprising
that use of this good creation of Mazda has become an important part of
the devotional performances in Zarathushtrian ceremonial observances. It
must be kept in mind that most Zarathushti rituals in general and the
memorial services in particular depict during its communion the presence
of all the creations of Nature - the water, earth (metal), plant, animal
and human.

The fundamental aspect of any Zarathushtrian
devotion is the establishment of Connectedness, of Oneness or Harmony
between the physical with the Divine to complete or to make perfect the
communion. This is true, from the simplest ritual act of Padyab-Kushti, to
the most complex liturgy of Yasna. A devotee, whether a performing priest
or a laity primarily through ablution carries out physical cleansing, and
dawns a tranquil state of mind to create around oneself an environment of
sacredness. For the inner liturgical ceremonies a Pawi (pure space)
represents the sacred space.

Flower Ritual in AfringanZarathushtrian rituals invariably depict an
expression of the doctrinal information embedded in the scriptures. For
example the flower exchange ceremony that one has so frequently observed,
during the afringan (Jashan) ceremony, has deep theological implications.
The flowers arranged in two rows imply the concept of cosmic duality of
the two existence:Mainyava (ph. menog) -the
celestial or spiritual- and the Gaithaya(ph. getig)
-the physical or terrestrial - world.

During the ritual the principal clergy Zaotar
and his associate Raspi assumes the representation of the spiritual and
the corporeal existence respectively, with the sacredfire
in the middle as an embodiment of Ahura Mazda. The exchange of
flowers with the words of athe zamyat…. between the two
priests, implies an interchange or an interaction between the two spheres
of existence. The most climactic moment of the Afringan ritual is the
gathering by the Zaotar, the three flowers of the vertical row. First it
is done in the descending order from the right, and second time in
the ascending order from the left row, and each time, handing them
to the Raspi. The descending and the ascending order of picking the
flowers, is believed to depict, the two way transport of those righteous
souls. The souls, after their righteous earthly existence, that have
returned to their spiritual abode, are glorified here.

This enactment is carried out during the
recital of Humatanam prayer. It is here that we see the two priests
holding paiwand (holding hands) with each other, and Raspi in
contact with the spiritual entity, the consecrated Fire with one hand.
This is an expression of the oneness or harmony of the two complements of
creation in communion with Ahura Mazda. That is the moment that
epitomizes the fulfillment of the synergy and the realization
of the harmony between the physical experience and the spiritual reality
for the ritual. These intonations when recited fervently emanate the
divine brilliance to the participating congregation, pooling them into the
sphere of reality of existential spirituality.

Plant kingdom and the Inner liturgiesThe most central of the entire inner liturgical
sacrament is the Yasna ceremony. The term Yasna is derived from the
Avestan root yaz or Sanskrit root yajmeaning
to worship or to praise. There are two major parts to this ritual. The
first part is paragna ritual which by definition precedes
the yasna proper. The term Paragna is composed from a mix of
Avestan and Sanskrit origin (the Avestan root para meaning
before or what precedes and Sanskrit yagna analogous to
Avestan yasna, meaning worship).

Paragna ceremony is a ritual that involves an
elaborate process of consecrating a number of apparatus needed for the
yasna ritual that follows. These include metal utensils, collectively
known as Alat. In addition, the ritual elaborates rites to
purify and consecrate the requisites, originating from animal and plant
kingdom, that are essential for the Yasna ritual. The articles derived
from plant kingdom are the Barsam, the Urvaram
(plant, represented by pomegranate) and Aiwiyaonghan (date
palm twigs).

The word Barsam is derived from the
Avestan word Baresman which comes from the root barez
meaning to grow. In earlier times Barsam was prepared from the
twigs of any suitable plant (3,4). Yasna XXV appears to associate
Barsam with the twigs of Haoma plant (5). Dadestan-I-Dinik
refers (6) to Barsam as ‘vegetable sacred twigs’.
According to Darmesteter in ancient times the twigs could have been of the
pomegranate, date, tamarind or any tree that are plucked with ceremonial
observances (7). Since the exodus of Zarathushtis to India, use of
plant twigs as Barsam was modified and replaced with metal
wires.

The number of twigs or wires used varies with
different ceremonies. During the performance of Yasna ritual, a bundle of
21 twigs/wires are tied together with a cord made from date palm leaves
and is supported on the crescent shaped stand called Mah-rui
(moon face). The number 21 relates to the 21 words of Ahuna Vairya
and in turn commands the reverence of original twenty one Nasks of the
Zarathushtrian scripture. In the ritual, the barsam
symbolically serves as a channel through which the material creation Getig
unifies with the spiritual realm of Menog. It also symbolizes homage to
the creation of plant kingdom. To a question addressed (8) to Ahura
Mazda, “how shall we further the creation”, the Divinity responds “go
towards that tree that is beautiful, high growing …let the faithful man
cut a twig of Barsam…”

Accordingly, the ceremony for the collection
of the date palm leaf (Aiwiyaonghan) and pomegranate twigs (Urvaram)
is performed by a priest with highest order of ritual purity. The date
palm tree historically (9) has been recognized as a tree of life,
and an emblem of immortality. For the ceremonial collection of the date
palm leaf priest enters the yard with a pot of consecrated water and a
knife. After selecting a leaf, the priest makes Pav (pure)
his hand and knife with the consecrated water, reciting the holy mantra,
cuts the leaf carefully, washes it one more time, puts it into the pot of
water and returns to the sacred space of Yasna-gah. Here the leaf is cut
into three narrow strips and braided into a cord, and the loose ends tied
to prevent unraveling. The date palm cord is now ready for tying the Barsam. Tying of the cord around Barsam is a symbolic gesture
that portrays unification or oneness of the creation. This is also
analogous to the tying of Kusti which is a symbolic circle that unites
(10) those who wear it.

The term urvaram is derived from
Avestan Urvara meaning the tree. Pomegranate tree has been
held sacred by the Babylonians. Traditionally in the Middle Eastern
culture pomegranate is accepted as the symbol of fertility, and fecundity
in nature, and an emblem of prosperity (11). The pomegranate leaves
are traditionally chewed by the candidate to affect ritual purification of
mind and body, during the sade Nahn before the Navzote ritual. The
ritual for collection of the pomegranate twigs is analogous to that for
the date palm leaves. These twigs are collected traditionally for the
explicit purpose of preparation of parahaoma a preparation
that is a mix of consecrated water, crushed twigs of pomegranate and of haomaplants.

This brings us to one of the most
controversial and debated ritual that forms the central sacrament of the
yasna; the Haoma ritual. The Haoma plant has a
checkered history associated with it. Although the original identity of
the plant has obliterated through the antiquity, the plant is generally
regarded as one of ephedra species. It is clearly evident
from the Haoma yasht that the consecration of Haoma is a
pre-Zarathushtrian ritual. However history has evolved it as a central
sacrament in the Zarathushtrian traditional ritual. The twigs of
haoma plant are ceremonially consecrated for use in the
preparation of parahaoma. It is the enactment of straining
of the crushed haoma and the pomegranate twigs with
consecrated water that constitutes the ritual of parahaoma.
The symbolism (12) of the pounding and filtering of the juice
through the recital of four Ahunavar is explained as the birth of
the four apostles: Zarathusht and his followers to be Hushedar,
Husheder-mah, and Soshyos bringing the Good Daena to the humanity.

Vegetative kingdom - as per the myth of the
later tradition (13,14) – originated, when Ameretat pounded
dried plant small, mixed it with water, and Tistar rained the water on
earth to sprout a hundred thousand species. This first animate creation
of Wise Lord thus continues to play a central role in the
Zarathushtrian ritual and justifies its crucial presence in the Creation
as a whole.

[i]
This article was featured in the Spring 2005 issue of the FEZANA
journal, and was posted on vohuman.org on July 4, 2005 courtesy of its
author Dr. Jehan Bagli and the guest editor of the FEZANA journal, Dr.
Sam Kerr.